"In the late 1950s, designer, educator, and historian Rob Roy Kelly began collecting and researching nineteenth-century American wood type after founding the graphic design program at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. His research culminated in his 1969 book American Wood Type, 1828-1900: Notes on the Evolution of Decorated and Large Types, and the collection forming the basis of his research grew to include nearly 170 faces in a variety of sizes and styles. In 1966, Kelly sold the collection to the Museum of Modern Art, who in turn sold it to the Harry Ransom Center later that year. In 1993, the RRK, as it is known, was transferred to UT's design department in the College of Fine Arts, where it remains an active study collection for students and scholars. David Shields began organizing, cataloging, correcting, and updating the historical information about the collection upon joining the department in 2004. He eventually became the collection's custodian, and his experience with the RRK formed the basis for this project. From the time Kelly's book was re-released in paperback in 1977 to the reintroduction of wood type by two American companies today, interest in the topic has been perennial, especially in the current climate of nostalgia for handcrafted arts. Shields's book, however, provides a much-needed update to Kelly's book by demystifying Kelly's processes and re-organizing the catalog for easier use.

It also includes brief essays by type historians Stephen Saxe and Tracy Honn, both of whom worked with Kelly on other books, providing further insight into his work. In short, Filling a Historical Blank brings a beloved classic collection up-to-date for a new generation of designers, scholars, and letterpress arts enthusiasts"--.